Sick Nigeria President Yar'Adua 'to hand over power'

Nigeria's ailing President Umaru Yar'Adua will write a letter handing power over to his vice-president, his adviser has told the BBC.

The letter, formally informing the Senate that Mr Yar'Adua is on "medical vacation", automatically means his deputy becomes acting president.

The president's allies have previously resisted calls for him to step aside.

He has been in a hospital in Saudi Arabia since November, prompting fears of a power vacuum and street protests.

The president is suffering from an inflammation of the lining around the heart and has long suffered from kidney problems.

Nigeria's powerful state governors have said they believe Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan should be acting president.

Cabinet split

The BBC's Caroline Duffield in Lagos says Nigeria's political struggle over the president's fitness to rule may be nearing an endgame.

The president's special adviser on legislative affairs, Abba Aji, did not say when Mr Yar'Adua would write the letter but he said there would be no "undue delay".

For weeks, Nigeria has been beset with rumours and hoaxes over whether the president is alive or dead, our correspondent says.

His failure to transfer powers to his deputy before he left created a power vacuum - in which fear and false reports flourished, she says.

Newspapers said the president was brain dead - or struck dumb.

There were apparently official statements claiming the president was discharged from hospital. They later turned out not to be true.

Political tensions have been high - government business has stalled and legislation been frozen and cracks have appeared in the uneasy peace in the oil-producing Niger Delta.

Earlier this week, the first signs of a split emerged in Nigeria's cabinet, when Information Minister Dora Akunyili urged her colleagues to admit that the president was no longer fit to govern.

But she was shouted down in the cabinet meeting, government sources told the BBC.

The federal high court has ruled that there is no constitutional requirement for the president to hand over power when he is abroad receiving medical treatment.

But he now appears to have given in to all the pressure.

Nigeria's split between the mainly Muslim north and the mainly Christian south has complicated the issue, analysts say.

Northern power-brokers may be reluctant to see Mr Yar'Adua, a northerner, hand over power to Vice-President Jonathan, from the south, before the next scheduled presidential elections in 2011.

Since the return to civilian rule, power has usually rotated between the regions.

BBC

Related stories: President Umaru Yar'Adua is dead

Dora Akunyili asks Yar'adua to step down

President Yar'adua hospitalized in Saudi Arabia

Video - CNN reports on Nigeria's missing president

Power outage to worsen as generation drops to 2,700MW

The current power outages being experienced in parts of the country may get worse due to inadequate gas supply to fire the turbine power stations. Consequently, power generation capacity has dropped to 2,700 Mw from 3,710Mw at the end of last year.

The Minister of Power, Dr. Rilwan Babalola, who made the disclosure yesterday at a power sector update and ministerial press briefing in Abuja, further revealed that more than N79 billion was spent towards the failed actualization of 6000Mw of electricity by December 2009.

Blames inadequate gas supply

Babalola was, however, quick to blame inadequate gas supply to the various thermal plants for the drastic short-fall experienced in power generation in the country.

He said there was need to improve on supply by diversifying power generation beyond gas, which is presently the dominant generation technology, and increase security and reliability of electricity services in the country.

According to him, "Providing access to affordable and reliable electricity to all citizens of Nigeria is a critical national goal of the Federal Government.

"This is in view of the fact that without adequate and reliable electricity supply, our socio-economic goals of alleviating poverty, creating jobs and wealth as envisaged in the -Point Agenda and Vision 2020 cannot be achieved."

He explained that the Federal Government set a target of 6000Mw to be achieved by December 2009 to meet demand projection for 2010, which is estimated at about 5100Mw. This target of generation capacity was assessed as being sufficient to meet the unsuppressed peak demand with some reserve margins.

The Managing Director of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, Mr. Hussein Labo, who confirmed the situation, explained that it was as a result of a steady decline in gas supply from the Nigeria Gas Company, NGC to the various power stations in the country.

The power company said sequel to the non-availability of adequate gas to power the plants, power generation at the Egbin Power station has reduced from 800Mw to only 100Mw and a daily shortfall of 150Mw at the Geregu Power Station. Egbin has the capacity to generate 1,320Mw of electricity, while Geregu's generation capacity is 414Mw.

The inadequate gas supply to fire the available turbines has led to a loss of over 800Mw. This great loss has impacted negatively on power supply giving rise to load shedding nationwide.

Vanguard

Related stories: Video - Deji Badmus reports on electricity crisis in Nigeria

Video - Nation in darkness

Federal government fails to deliver 6000MW of electricity

Nigeria's fuel crisis

The lack of access to fuel and a vacuum in the presidency raises tensions in Nigeria.

Related stories:  Video - Unrest in Nigeria

U.S., E.U. wade into Nigeria crisis

Nigerian militants end truce in Niger Delta oil region

Kidnapping culture in Nigeria on the rise

Video - Oil War

Dora Akunyili asks Yar'Adua to step down

There was confusion at the Federal Executive Meeting (FEC) yesterday, when the Minister of Information and Communications, Prof. Dora Akunyili, submitted a memo calling on the FEC to face up to the reality of President Umaru Yar'Adua's continued absence.

Akunyili in the 'step down memo' to the meeting urged her colleagues to advise the President to transmit a letter to the National Assembly to facilitate a smooth transition.

Daily Champion gathered that Akunyili in the memo which created a fiasco in the meeting had warned that FEC had taken Nigerians for granted for too long and should do the right thing by urging the President to step down. Predictably, the memo was shot down as it was not allowed to form part of the agenda.

A reliable source told Daily Champion that though most of his colleagues supported the memo, some powerful persons ensured that it was thrown into the dustbin. She was however congratulated by many of them for her courage and bravery in confronting the FEC.

Responding to inquiries from Daily Champion, Prof. Akunyili accepted writing the memo.

Meanwhile the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday foreclosed any handing over to Vice President Goodluck Jonathan, when the party told him to wait for God's directives on the clamour for Acting President being canvassed by opposition parties and human rights groups.

The message was handed out to Jonathan when the National Chairman of PDP, Prince Vincent Ogbulafor visited him in the Presidential Villa on behalf of the party hierarchy.

Ogbulafor, while speaking to Jonathan quoted Psalm 62: 11 of the Holy Bible which says: "God has spoken once; twice I have heard this that power belongs to God."

The visit to the Vice-President was the first since the controversy to hand over power to Jonathan as Acting President started.

Arriving at the Villa on what was described as solidarity visit aimed at encouraging him on his resilience in discharging his duty in the absence of the President, Ogbulafor said: "Throughout this period, you have demonstrated patriotism and measure of loyalty and statesmanship. You have through exemplary selflessness held the government and the country together in spite of the mischief of a few.

"We are particularly delighted with the prompt manner you handled the crisis in Jos, Plateau State. We also wish to appreciate your prompt response on behalf of the government of Nigeria to the tragedy in Haiti.

"We wish to place on record our deepest satisfaction with the manner you have steadied the ship of state in the absence of his Excellency, the President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Alhaji Umaru Yar'Adua.

"You have discharged your duties in the absence of Mr. President with distinction. We are proud that you have refused to be distracted by needless debates and controversies originating from some of our opponents.

"We maintain our earlier assertion that with you effectively on the saddle, there is no vacuum in the Presidency.

"Your Excellency, like all Nigerians from different spheres of life, we have been keenly following developments in the country since the departure of Mr. President for medical attention.

"We wish to once again commend you for doing everything possible to ensure the smooth functioning of the affairs of government.

"On behalf of the PDP, I pledge our unalloyed support to you as you continue to steer the ship of our nation. You can count on our support in this regard at all times. Furthermore, the word of the Holy Scripture in Psalm 62:11 is apt for this moment, that God has spoken once, twice I have heard this: That power belongs to God."

Daily Champion

Related stories: Dora Akunyili says Nigeria may cut ties with  U.S.

President Yar'adua hospitalized in Saudi Arabia

Video - CNN reports on Nigeria's missing president

Nigeria ranks third in the world in cybercrimes

The latest report by the Internet Crime Complaint Centre has placed Nigeria third on the global list of countries with the highest rate of cybercrimes at 7.5 percent behind the United States with 66.1 percent and the United Kingdom with 10.5 percent.

This is even as the Representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes, Dagmar Thomas, estimates that the nation had lost millions of dollars to the fraudulent act.

She was speaking on the need for the West African Cybercrime Summit billed for September 7 to 10, 2010.

Dagmar, who spoke following the pre-summit workshop and launch of an anti-corruption song, explained that the summit is being hosted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in partnership with UNODC and Industry in Abuja.

While harping on the need to get both government and non-governmental organisations to back the fight and eradicate the problem, Dagmar listed the objectives of the summit as raising political awareness and commitment to combat cybercrime, building capacity for scalable and sustainable solutions and developing multi-lateral cooperation.

Also speaking on the occasion, Mr. Bala Sanda, the Principal Staff Officer to Chairman of the EFCC, Mrs. Farida Waziri, said the fight against cybercrimes has yielded result as over $500 million had been saved due to preventive measures taken.

He said by working with Microsoft and other technical companies, several emails being used for fraudulent dealings have been shut down.

Leadership

Related stories: Nigerian government reacts to Sony's Playstation 3 Ad

EFCC bust 800 scam sites and 18 syndicates

Documentary on rebranding Nigeria

Nigerian Government lashes out on District 9 and demands apology from Sony Pictures

Documentary - Nigerian fraudsters targeting football youth

Video - Nigerian scammers scammed and arrested

Video - Hacker attempts to help victim of 419 scam recover $400,000